Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlyle speaks following Game 2 loss
The Indiana Pacers fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of the NBA Finals in Oklahoma City on Sunday, June 8, 2025.
Oklahoma City – Oklahoma City Thunder director Mark Daygoon called the taste that acquired the Indiana Pacers.
“We’re not playing them tons,” Daigneault said. “They are clearly not in the west. They play a very clear style on both ends.”
After wasting the opportunity to win Game 1, Thunder left a bitter aftertaste against the mild pacer.
Thunder devoured the Pacers in Game 2 on Sunday, June 8th, earning a 123-107 victory in the NBA Finals.
The Pacers have stole home court advantage, but they haven’t played great, and are beginning to become a problem as the series moves to Indianapolis for games 3 and 4.
“Another bad first half,” Pacers manager Rick Carlisle said. “Obviously, it’s a big problem and we didn’t play well. We got a little better in the second half, but you can’t be a team that is either responsive and expects to be successful or consistent.”
At this stage, the pacer cannot rely on its ability to complete a comeback. They need to start better, and now it’s Carlisle and his staff who understand that. Indiana chased 23 points and the comeback was compelling, but not a successful playoff recipe.
“We need to get better on Wednesday,” Carlisle said.
The Pacers have led for 1 minute 53.3 seconds of 96 minutes in two games, with their biggest lead of three points. It’s a hassle to play from behind for that long.
The Thunder were more physical, dominated the paint for two consecutive games, limiting Tyrees Halliburton to a quiet 17-pointer.
How did the Pacers deal with Oklahoma City’s physicality?
“It’s not going well,” Carlisle said.
“They were great at keeping people away from it all year round (paint). They’re great at it. We have to find a way to get the ball there.
The Thunder’s top-ranked defense will find ways to rob or limit the opponent’s strengths, particularly throughout the playoffs. They did it against Denver and Minnesota in the Western Conference semifinals and finals.
“Our attacks are built from the inside out and we have to do a better job than going downhill,” Halliburton said. “They collapse from there and play. We thought we could improve a lot there, but they’re flying around. They have great point-ot’s defenders and great rim protectors.
How is Halliburton performing?
“There’s more to the game than just scoring… People shouldn’t look at their points and support and judge how he played or judge how we played or how our people played on that,” Carlisle said. “That’s not how we build our teams. We’re an ecosystem that we have to work together. We need to get enough points to win the game, but it doesn’t matter who gets them and how they do it.”
Pascal Siakam did not take comfort in gaining split and home court advantages in the series.
“We’re not happy with how the game progressed today because we want to win every game you play. That’s all,” he said. “We just have to turn the pages and focus on Game 3. This is the biggest game of the year.”
The series is closer to a 2-0 Thunder lead than a 2-0 pacer lead, and between games 1 and 2, Carlisle compared the playoff series to the book.
“Each game in this series will look different,” he said. “The playoff series is a series of seven chapters, each taking on a different personality.”
If the Pacers can’t find a way to start the next chapter better than they have, this book closes quickly to their championship aspirations.
Follow NBA columnist Jeff Zillgitt on social media @jeffzillgitt